Klopp: Firm action needs to be taken over fixture congestion

[TLW]

A passionate Jürgen Klopp has called for a meeting of all the major Footballing stakeholders to find a solution that can reduce fixture congestion.

Liverpool face the farcical situation of being scheduled to play in two different competitions in two different continents on the same day in the middle of December.

The German has been a vocal critic of international competitions like the Nations League in the past, but this latest scenario which directly affects his team seems to be the final straw.

The Mirror reported Klopp as saying:

“The situation is clear: there was not one day where FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League, the Football League has to sit at a table and think about the players and not about their wallet.

“Pretty much all managers, especially managers with a lot of international players, think the same. 

“They get players back on a Wednesday or Thursday from Shanghai or Miami and on Saturday we have to play.

"The game has grown and I get that it’s a business, we are part of that and we get the benefit of the business 100%. But it grew so much because of the quality of the players.

“Our part of it is to help players fulfil their potential. That only really works with training but in modern football a manager has no time for training any more.”

“We wonder why the best players in the world cannot perform as good as they can for as long as they want.

"People say [we should] have a bigger squad. 

"In the moment, it’s a imbalance between squad numbers and the amount of breaks they need.

“ Two weeks off a year [not enough]."

Klopp had powerful backing on the issue from Man City manager Pep Guardiola.

" I completely agree. 

"How we pay bigger squads for the clubs? Less fixtures, less competitions, more recovery.

“We play 27 times in the winter time.
 

“I prioritise [in the Carabao Cup]. I don’t play Gundogan, Kevin, Silva. 

“Jurgen has done the same, Chelsea, Arsenal. 

“The players who don’t play more regularly play more often. It’s too much.

“Always we talk about it in UEFA meetings but nothing. 

“I am completely with Jurgen when he makes statements that it’s too much.”

There is also the expended World Club Championships taking place in June and July of 2021 which includes the Champions League winners of the last four years along with teams from the other five continental confederations.

 

Klopp has called for a meeting with top managers and leading authorities to sort out the issue once and for all.

“There should be a meeting with five to ten top managers in the world, Fifa, Uefa, and the CEOs of the big leagues. 

They discuss it and everyone gets the same vote. No, managers get a double vote!” he said.

“The biggest benefit what this game could get is to give these really good coaches out there more time. 

“This game could be improved unbelievably again to the next level if we had a period in the year when we could really train together.

“Yes, I love what I do, but we have come to a point where it gets too much. And it gets too much because nobody speaks to the people who have to do the actual work.”


 

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[Grinch]

League Cup should be banned for premier League teams but it looks like FIFA are going to have them playing every summer anyway. 

[Butch]

1 hour ago, Grinch said:

League Cup should be banned for premier League teams but it looks like FIFA are going to have them playing every summer anyway. 

There's money to be made. Nothing will happen. Just get knocked out as soon as possible. Sorted. 

[Bjornebye]

1 hour ago, Grinch said:

League Cup should be banned for premier League teams but it looks like FIFA are going to have them playing every summer anyway. 

You weren't in Cardiff when we beat the mancs then 

[magicrat]

2 hours ago, Grinch said:

League Cup should be banned for premier League teams but it looks like FIFA are going to have them playing every summer anyway. 

It should be optional for PL clubs.

[dockers_strike]

Jurgen talking sense yet again. No doubt the ignorant fans from other clubs will say he's just moaning.

 

The way FIFA have been allowed to insert so many international games into the calender is appalling. We have 3 or 4 PL games at the start of the season then have an international break. We had the CL finaland then UEFA's league of nations semi and final a week to 10 days later. It's utter madness.

 

Domestically we have the EFL cup where the final is hardly ever contested by an EFL club never mind two. I keep saying it but PL clubs shouldnt be in it.

 

The FL fixtures in December and January are a joke. I get exhausted by all the football at that time of year sometimes so goodness knows how the players cope.

[Trumo]

43 minutes ago, magicrat said:

It should be optional for PL clubs.

 

I'm sure City wouldn't mind staying in it. After all, they get a bit of TV money for those training sessions against lower league sides.

[Trumo]

One of the solutions has always been to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams. Greed and hubris has seen to it that such a move will always be a non-starter.

[Red_or_Dead]

We wouldn't have this problem if there wasn't fucking four international breaks during the season.

 

Only solution I can see for us is to play the League Cup game on the next international break weekend, but can't see the daft Brummies agreeing to that.

 

 

[Megadrive Man]

The League cup needs a drastic revamp.

 

My own idea would be to seed the top 16 teams in the Premier League and make the last 32, the Premier League teams vs the others.  It then means the Premier League teams can play their second string and also gives football league clubs a very good change of a good payday against one of the big boys.  The two legged semi final needs scrapping as well, its ridiculous to have those two extra games in January!

[Tony Moanero]

The League Cup is shite now. Fielding second string teams has totally devalued it.

 

With regard to fixture congestion, obviously, it is a problem. However, I find it impossible to have any sympathy for managers and players, given the ludicrous sums of money they earn. They could always pack the game in and get an orginary 9 to 5 (or worse) job and work their bollocks off. 21st Century ‘elite’ level footy is rubbish.

[dockers_strike]

52 minutes ago, Tony Moanero said:

The League Cup is shite now. Fielding second string teams has totally devalued it.

 

With regard to fixture congestion, obviously, it is a problem. However, I find it impossible to have any sympathy for managers and players, given the ludicrous sums of money they earn. They could always pack the game in and get an orginary 9 to 5 (or worse) job and work their bollocks off. 21st Century ‘elite’ level footy is rubbish.

Think your being a bit harsh there. The players ability to perform at top levels of fitness game in, game out isnt decided by the big wages they pick up. It's about recovery and time spent on the training ground as Klopp said.